Was It a Win?
A friend shared these somewhat misguided thoughts in a private social media group following the Supreme Court rulings on forced injection mandates:
I truly hope people see why Thursday was such a monumental victory, and why they shouldn’t let not getting everything we want in this Supreme Court ruling steal our joy. We need only look around the world at what the cabal is trying to accomplish with these mandates in order to gain some perspective:
Globalists have every intention for this to be the Mark of the Beast. That’s not to say it is, or that they’ll succeed this time around; but that’s certainly the direction they’re going with it. There’re already countries in the world where you can’t buy or sell without having a vaccine passport. People in Saudi Arabia can’t go to the grocery store without showing proof of vaccination.
In striking down the general mandate for workers, the Supreme Court destroyed any chance of the cabal implementing such a plan in America. If you can’t force people to get marked in order to WORK, what chance do you have of preventing them from buying and selling? I fully expect individual Democrat governors and mayors to still push forward with trying to shut unvaccinated people out of society, but without national support and enforcement they’re absolutely doomed to fail. They’re falling into the pit they dug for us.
The book of Revelation makes special mention of the Church of Philadelphia with these words “Because thou hast kept the Word of My patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.” (Revelation 3:10) I truly believe this is referring to the USA as the beacon of liberty for the world. Hopefully some of our European neighbors could be included in this, as well. Other places around the world have unfortunately not fared so well, as they simply don’t have the cultural expectation of the Mark of the Beast in order to see it coming, or know to push back on it like their lives depend on it. As I said, Saudi Arabia is already there, and other parts of the Middle East and Asia will most likely follow suit. Even Israel is perilously close to fulfilling the letter of the prophecy.
It seems clear that if we’re not already at that hour of temptation, then we’re fast approaching it, and we as a society might have just dodged the biggest bullet in all of history by striking down this mandate. Outside of declaring actual war on us, the deep state’s left with no legal avenues to implement the Mark of the Beast in America for the foreseeable future. A blow to the deep state of this magnitude is worthy of celebration, even if it’s an imperfect victory.
Or Was It a Loss?
These are the thoughts I shared in response:
I appreciate the sentiments behind the commentary you shared, but I get concerned about approaching Revelation chapter 3 this way (jingoistically). America as a whole isn’t a congregation, and a giant-sized chunk of the American citizenry doesn’t even identify as Christian. As a result, it can take one off track when “America” is conflated with “the church”. I’m persuaded that it’s best to view chapters 2 and 3 as letters addressing the church, not letters addressing geo-political nation states. Anyway, those are my theological thoughts on this.
As for my political thoughts, God will most assuredly use the narrow ruling of the court for the good of those who are His. However, the way the Supreme Court handled this question is perfectly in keeping with how the Left has systematically robbed people of their rights. The statists would love to accomplish their goals in just one day, but they’re also exceptionally patient. So, they happily squash freedom and liberty incrementally. Their habit is to push the envelope so far that when the evil secure only a partial win their political opponents celebrate this as a victory for the side of righteousness. It’s like the bully who punches a kid in the face, intending to knock out all teeth, but the victim celebrates in victory because only a third of his teeth were knocked out. The bully will be back for the rest of the teeth, even if it plays out over years… or decades… or even centuries.
As an encouragement for all followers of Christ to remain vigilant against the statist incrementalism, below I’ll share what I posted on social media immediately following the ruling:
The wicked, unethical, and evil violation of the Nuremberg Code wasn’t defeated today. The Nazi-like violations are still in effect for the Jews… er, the healthcare workers. This isn’t a win; it’s an open door to the continuing piecemeal attack on all God-given freedoms. The country we were all born into is now dead.
Everyone with compassion mourns alongside healthcare workers today; we’re so glad we never attended med school.
A World Where Pagan Schools Rule the Roost
Here’s a bonus “throwback” social media exchange from five years ago. The names and policy identifiers might have changed, but the core issues always remain the same.
From my friend:
My family and friends include some seriously dedicated teachers. So, when I read the info below, I saw just what an idiot, million-dollar donor, Betsy DeVos really is. The school voucher system proposed by Education secretary Betsy DeVos doesn’t mean you can choose any school you want for your kid. It means the public education program will be dismantled. If your child has an IEP (individual education plan for students with special needs), kiss it goodbye. If you have a job in special-education, if you’re a special education teacher, physical therapist, occupational therapist, speech pathologist, a para, a teacher’s aide, or an ESL (English as a second language) teacher, you’ll go first.
House Bill 610 makes some large changes. Inform yourselves. This bill will effectively start having the school voucher system used by children ages 5-17, and starts the defunding process of public schools. The bill will eliminate the Elementary and Education Act of 1965, which is the nation’s educational law that provides equal opportunity in education. ESSA is a big comprehensive program covering programs for struggling learners, advanced and gifted kids in AP classes, ESL classes, classes for minorities such as Native Americans, Rural Education, Education for the Homeless, School Safety (Gun-Free schools), Monitoring and Compliance, and Federal Accountability Programs.
The Bill also abolishes the Nutritional Act of 2012 (No Hungry Kids Act) which provides nutritional standards in school breakfast and lunch. The bill has no wording whatsoever protecting Special Needs kids, no mention of IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act), and FAPE (Free Appropriate Public Education). Some things ESSA does for Children with Disabilities: -Ensures access to the general education curriculum. -Ensures access to accommodations on assessments. -Ensures concepts of Universal Design for Learning. -Includes provisions that require local education agencies to provide evidence-based interventions in schools with consistently underperforming subgroups. -Requires states in Title I plans to address how they’ll improve conditions for learning including reducing incidents of bullying and harassment in schools, overuse of discipline practices and reduce the use of aversive behavioral interventions (such as restraints and seclusion).
From me:
I have to admit, I’m a bit jaded about the public education system. The cost per pupil is generally higher than what’s seen with private schools, with academic performance results that typically aren’t as good. And regarding the IEP argument, my son had an IEP but FCPS refused to follow it. So, even with the existing system, our child’s IEP was “kissed goodbye”. Perhaps the DeVos plan sucks. But the existing situation sucks, too.
My friend’s response:
I know both you and your wife are great parents! I think more than any legislation, this post, (and your experiences) have given me some insight into just how closely I will have to be involved in our kids’ education. We start 1st grade in the fall, and I’m sure I’ll have plenty of questions as life moves forward. Thanks for being part of my village!
My reply:
Whoomph there it is! Be involved as parents. Be the decision makers as parents. Be the responsible party as parents. Always remember, the “system” works for you (at least it’s supposed to), but don’t let it do your work as parents. (As an aside, I’m excited that you and I are people of the same village… in other words, we’re Village People! You can be the cowboy).
Closing comment from someone who jumped into the thread:
I definitely second what Troy said, and unfortunately his situation is all too common as I hear the same from friends. We’ve been lucky, and I’ve been a very proactive parent. I pray that you guys never need an IEP but if so, keep every bit of documentation and hold the school accountable for their part. Like Troy said, being the involved parents is very important and crucial to your kids having success. Best of luck in first grade!
May God give you peace.
POSTSCRIPT
The blog above was first published on the original version of this website. Since then the site has been completely reformatted and upgraded. With this change, the blogs needed to be re-uploaded to correct corruptions that occurred with the transition in 2023. While doing this, some additional information was added at the conclusion of many of the older blogs in a “postscript” section that might not have appeared in the first draft that was published on the first website. Think of this new content as “bonus material”.
Featured Faith Debates
Faith Debate radio show are also available via podcast. During 2016 the show featured a series of “best of” programs which were from the very first year of the show’s existence. The throwback shows which aired from 5/15/16 through 6/5/16 offered the following:
5/15/16 Jonathan Switzer and Troy Skinner provide an “Introduction to the Faith Debate”.
5/22/16 and 5/29/16 “The Cultural Shift from Tolerance to Acceptance to Celebration”. Panel: Troy Skinner, 930 WFMD Moderator. Jonathan Switzer, Pastor at Crossroads Valley Church. Kahlil Elshazly, President of the Islamic Society of Frederick.
6/5/16 “What’s the Trinity”. Panel: Troy Skinner, 930 WFMD Moderator. Jonathan Switzer, Pastor at Crossroads Valley Church. Chris Jackson, Chaplain for the Good News Jail and Prison Ministry.
To link to these and other podcasts, go to WFMD’s Faith Debate page, or even better, go to the Household of Faith in Christ website (where you can easily link podcasts uploaded to SermonAudio and Odysee).
Many blessings to you,
Pastor Troy Skinner
